The Soroptimist’s Live Your Dream: Education and Training Awards for Women is the cornerstone program of Soroptimist International of the Americas.
It assists women who provide the primary source of financial support for their families by giving them the resources they need to improve their education, skills and employment prospects.
Each year, more than $2.1 million in education grants are awarded to over 1,500 women, many of whom have overcome enormous obstacles including poverty, domestic violence, teen pregnancy, the death of a spouse, and substance abuse.
Many of the Live Your Dream Awards recipients are survivors of domestic violence, trafficking or sexual assault.
Recipients may use the cash award to offset any costs associated with their efforts to attain higher education, such as books, childcare, tuition and transportation.
2019 Live Your Dream recipient, Tyesa Harvey.
Our 2019 “Live Your Dream Award” recipient, Tyesa Harvey, is a single mother of 3-year-old twins.
She has survived many things, such as child molestation, rape, domestic violence, domestic sex trafficking, and homelessness.
“Each part of my trauma that I have endured in my 33 years of life has empowered me on my journey today. I look to each situation as the test given to me to create my testimony to help others who are in one of the places that I have been in at one part of my life.
I was 14 when my trafficking experience began. I was a homeless teen and a drug dealer I had been living with went to jail. At that time, I was unable to take care of myself anymore and I was introduced to what is called “The Game.” I would stay entangled in “The Life” until I was age 30, shortly after giving birth to my twins, now 3 years old.
After a fight in a Hollywood hotel with my trafficker, I packed up my babies and made a vow that they would not have to endure the chaos in which I did. I didn’t know what was ahead of me, but I knew I wasn’t going back to what was behind me. For the first year of their life we lived in hotels, shelters, and even my car. This is where my journey and road to redemption would begin. After a year of us being homeless I was able to receive permanent housing and enroll into school. I had already been working for some months before I was in permanent housing.”
“I am now enrolled full time at Santa Monica College, majoring in Social Work. When I transfer next semester my major will be Social Work with a minor in Communications. I also work as an Administrative Assistant for Delicious Pizza. I still have financial struggles as far as paying simple bills, deciding if gas to get to work and school is more important than the light bill, but God provides a way for everything to get taken care of. My support system helps me out, because they believe in me. My faith in God has helped me and my children through the hard times, because there will be good times ahead.“